During my first year of living in Loryok, I loved going out to
jog in the mornings. I would get up at
six o'clock when there was just enough light to see and go along the road out
of town for a few kilometers and then turn around to come back. Those mornings
outside of town were quiet and peaceful and I enjoyed watching the sun rise
from behind the hills in the east as I ran.
One morning I jogged along looking straight ahead of me as I was
crossing an irish bridge at the edge of town.
I must have really had my eyes fixed on something ahead because at the
moment I looked down I saw a crocodile right next to me that I had not noticed
beforehand. It wasn't very large but it
didn't matter to me. Terrified, I
sprinted ahead as quickly as I could. I
don't think I even bothered to look back.
Once past the bridge I slowed down to a jog. On my way back as I approached the bridge again,
I saw the crocodile ahead of me still in the same place and I began to worry
about how I would get around it. When I
reached the bridge though, I realized that the crocodile had been dead and I
could cross without fear.
A year and a half ago I came back from Africa for a
five-week visit to Omaha. I was happy to
see friends and family, but the sudden change of environment hit me pretty hard
and I had an anxiety attack that night of my arrival. The feeling was like looking down and seeing
a crocodile at my feet. For awhile the
anxious feelings would come and go, and sometimes I feared that I would be
overwhelmed by them. Jump ahead to the
summer of this year when I was returning to the US for home assignment and those
familiar feelings returned. This time
around though I have been learning that such feelings and thoughts need not
control me or even the way that I think.
As I consciously cast my anxieties on the Lord, those moments of anxiety
become less intense and less frequent. It
is like coming back to the bridge and seeing that the crocodile that was once
so terrifying never had the power to harm me as I feared.
Back in the US
I have now passed the halfway mark of my home assignment. It truly has been good seeing and spending
time with family and friends here and to be with my home church. In the beginning of September, I was able to
enjoy a couple of weeks in Mississippi with family. At the end of September, I enjoyed a long
weekend with relatives in Minnesota. I
have had the opportunity to share at a few churches and groups. Wherever I have
gone, I have been encouraged by the many who have taken a genuine interest in what
I am doing in South Sudan. Time here has
been a good balance of rest, fun, and work.
But in some ways, it has been hard to be away from South
Sudan. Since I left Loryok two people
who were dear to me there have passed away.
My adopted Laarim father Joseph, had been ill for a few months before he
passed away in August. I spent quite a
bit of time with Joseph over the past two years. We often sat, talked, and prayed
together. He taught me a lot of
practical things for working on and around the house and in the garden. Though I was often slow to learn, he was
always patient. He also demonstrated a
love for Jesus and a love for his people. I will miss him. More recently I received news that Mama John,
a kind and caring Kenyan woman who was active with the Loryok church, passed
away. She often would join us during our
times of fellowship and outreach throughout the week. When neither David nor I was in Loryok, Mama
John gathered the children together and led them in singing and prayer on
Sundays. She will be missed in our fellowship.
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| Joseph with Laarim youth in Torit |
I now have less than two months to go before my planned
return to South Sudan. With eight weeks
left and more to do, I am beginning to feel the pressure.
How you can pray
-Pray for the church in Loryok. There are no leaders there at the moment so I
am often concerned for the young believers.
-Continue to pray for the nation of South Sudan. Pray that the door would remain open for the
gospel to spread among the unreached.
-Pray for me as I spend time here in the US and make
preparations for returning to South Sudan in December.
Thank you for praying.
